August 6-10 Blog
August 07, 2007 11:19 PM | General
We’re changing things up a little bit. For the past four years Campus Connection has kind of been like a weekly blog full of tidbits, notes, commentary, quasi-opinion and weak stabs at humor that have sometimes hit the mark and at other times completely missed. Well, to keep up with the Jones', we’ve decided to turn Campus Connection into a daily blog. If we miss a day then you know we’re struggling.
Hope you enjoy it …
Practice Update
Posted By John Antonik: August 10, 2007 (7:35 pm)
Rich Rodriguez touched briefly on some personnel items during Friday’s afternoon press briefing.
Slot receiver Jeremy Bruce has informed the coaching staff of his desire to transfer, Rodriguez announced. Bruce is believed to be interested in transferring to the University of Akron where he can play running back. “He’s a good young man and we support his decision,” Rodriguez said.
The coach also noted that backup center Eric Jobe is getting some work at nose guard and true freshmen defensive back Kendall Washington is now working with the outside receivers. Jobe could make the move back to center, Rodriguez said.
“He showed a lot of pop today during W drills,” Rodriguez said of Jobe.
Defensive end Johnny Dingle (hamstring), Scooter Berry (elbow) and true freshman Julian Miller did not practice today, according to Rodriguez.
Linebacker Marc Magro, suffering from mono, was told by the team trainers to go home and rest. “Today was the worst he’s looked,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously he’s not on the tail end of this.”
Backup fullback Maxwell Anderson is presently getting over mono.
Tough Ticket
Posted By John Antonik: August 10, 2007 (1:55 pm)
Rich Rodriguez is becoming quite the ticket seller. In addition to selling out the entire season at Milan Puskar Stadium (limited single-game tickets are remaining for just East Carolina and Connecticut) the No. 6-rated Mountaineers are selling out their road games as well.
On Thursday, Maryland announced that it is no longer accepting ticket orders for the Terps’ Thursday night game against West Virginia on Sept. 13.
Marshall has already set a record for season-ticket sales for fans wanting to see the 2007 Coal Bowl at 38,000-seat Joan Edwards Stadium to be played on Saturday, Sept. 8. According to Thursday’s Huntington Herald-Dispatch, a single ticket for the WVU-Marshall game could go for as much as $140.
Marshall is already 5,000 beyond its record 14,000 season tickets sold last year, and the school plans on cutting sales off at 23,000 because about 6,500 tickets are reserved for each game.
Also, South Florida has opened the upper deck at Raymond James Stadium for ticket sales for the Bulls’ Friday, Sept. 28 meeting with WVU. South Florida has only opened the upper deck three other times in 2005 – one of those being for the West Virginia game.
West Virginia will also be playing before a sold-out crowd at Rutgers on Saturday, Oct. 27. According to Jason Baum, Rutgers assistant athletic director for media relations, the Scarlet Knights are no longer taking season ticket orders for 42,000-seat Rutgers Stadium. With portable seating in the end zone and standing room only ticket sales, the Knights could have as many as 45,000 on hand to witness the West Virginia game.
There are tickets still remaining for West Virginia’s other two road games at Cincinnati and Syracuse, although the Bearcats have already exceeded their season ticket sales from last year.
Developing Depth
Posted By John Antonik: August 10, 2007 (9:25 am)
Looking for reliable backups was a major theme during Rich Rodriguez’s post-practice remarks on Thursday afternoon. The coach is looking for eight quality performers along the offensive line, a couple of backups behind tailback Steve Slaton, and five or six usable linebackers.
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| West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez is hoping to develop quality depth at a number of positions before the end of fall camp.
Dale Sparks/All-Pro Photography |
He thinks all of those objectives could be met before the team breaks preseason camp on August 19.
“We want a guy that can play both guards as a backup, a guy that can play both tackles as a backup and a second center,” he said. “I feel confident we can find the guards and the tackles but I think we’ve got to find two centers at least. We practice four or five and that’s going to be pretty open.”
Among offensive linemen Rodriguez singled out as possibly getting into the O-line rotation were redshirt freshmen Derek Hayes and converted tight end Selvish Capers. “I think Derek Hayes is a guy that can play multiple positions. I’ve been pleased with the progress of Selvish Capers. He may be in the mix at tackle. That was a good move for us moving him from tight end to there,” said the coach.
Competition is also wide open at running back where holdovers Eddie Davis and Ed Collington are battling newcomers Noel Devine and Jock Sanders.
“A couple of those freshmen, Devine and Jock Sanders, are going to push Eddie Davis and Collington,” Rodriguez said. “We haven’t had a scrimmage yet and only one full day in pads but it’s a pretty wide open deal right now.”
Devine, a prep All-American, has received a lot of publicity since signing late last spring with the Mountaineers and is doing just fine so far, according to Rodriguez.
“Like a lot of great backs he has the ability to make people miss and be able to get through a small space and make positive yards. He’s not a big guy but he’s a pretty explosive runner,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez has also been impressed with Sanders’ versatility.
“Jock Sanders had been more slot the first four days and we put him at tailback and he’s a kid in high school who played a little bit of everything,” Rodriguez said. “He seems like he’s a natural there. They’re both little guys – you’d have a hard time seeing them over this podium – but they run hard and they’re learning pretty quickly.”
Rodriguez has identified a couple of youngsters that could add depth at linebacker, too.
“J.T. (Thomas) is a redshirt freshman. Archie Sims we think may be able to help us once he learns what’s going on,” Rodriguez said. “Anthony Leonard is another young guy that’s going to be a pretty good linebacker I think.
“I think we’re deeper there. All we’re worried about is finding guys we can win with and I think we’ve got more there than the last couple of years,” Rodriguez said.
Team Speed
Posted By John Antonik: August 9, 2007 (1:35 pm)
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| Steve Slaton |
Earlier this week, Rich Rodriguez admitted that this year’s team might be his fastest. Of course the two fastest players in the program remain Steve Slaton and Patrick White. More speed has been added on offense in Noel Devine, Brandon Hogan and Jock Sanders.
Rodriguez believes an upgrade in team speed has also been made on defense, particularly at linebacker.
Former Mountaineer recruiting coordinator/linebackers coach Donnie Young has an interesting take on team speed, having been involved in game-planning against some of those great Miami offenses of the late 1980s and 1990s.
“What you’ve got to try and do is slow them down and hope they make a mistake,” Young explained. “Don (Nehlen’s) philosophy was always defense and special teams.”
According to Young, the best way to slow down a fast team is by limiting their opportunities. “You have to try and keep the ball away from them,” he said. “You have to have long drives and work the clock.”
Expect teams to try and slow down West Virginia’s offense by doing just that this season.
Perhaps the best defense in school history – Steve Dunlap’s 1996 No. 1-ranked unit - had three seniors in the back of the defense in Mike Logan, Vann Washington and Charles Emanuel. Freshman Perlo Bastien had his best year at wide corner, and quality depth came from backup strong safety Barrett Green and backup free safety Gary Thompkins.
The same could be said for West Virginia’s last two defenses in 2005 and 2006 under Rodriguez. The 2005 secondary had experienced performers Mike Lorello, Jahmile Addae, Anthony Mims and Dee McCann, meaning more looks for quarterbacks to contend with.
Last season, WVU had to replace four-fifths of its starting secondary with only Eric Wicks returning. This year the Mountaineers have all five starters back.
Mountaineer coaches have repeatedly said that the defense will employ more looks this season. Having an experienced secondary allows that.
Wednesday Camp Report
Posted By John Antonik: August 8, 2007
Rich Rodriguez is not a big fan of the weatherman right now. For the second day in a row the Mountaineers had to interrupt football practice because of heavy afternoon thunderstorms.
The team began Wednesday’s afternoon workout inside the stadium before being forced to finish up in the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility.
“Two days in a row … can you believe that?” Rodriguez said. “Right at the start of practice there is a lightning storm and then you go inside and it knocks the lights out for about 20-25 minutes.
“We’ve got half the practice in the dark indoors in the middle of August,” said Rodriguez, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s just bad luck, what are you going to do.”
Wednesday was the first day in full pads. Weather problems aside, Rodriguez wasn’t very pleased.
“It was terrible at the start of practice so when we went inside we started all over again,” he said. “It got a little better. The only time we moved the ball was when the lights were out because the defense couldn’t see who had it.
“It was like Cincinnati two years ago, do you remember that?” he grinned. “I said, ‘Ah go ahead, we’re just going to hand the ball off anyway.’”
Quick Hits
“We’ve got half the team in class during two-a-days from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon,” Rodriguez. “Our guys have got to go to class and they’ve got to work on the schedule that we have. They’re going to get an education – they aren’t missing class.”
The first two-a-day practice begins on Thursday and the team will have its second workout Thursday night under the lights.
“At night you sit around all day and we just don’t want to give them the whole day,” Rodriguez said. “We want to have meetings during the day.”
Rodriguez said linebacker Marc Magro was held out due to mono. He should be available again in a few days.
"I've been coaching for 24 years and there are some people that don't think I know anything either," Rodriguez laughed. "Just think how I feel."
1980s Reunion
Posted By John Antonik: August 8, 2007
Have you ever wondered what some of the great West Virginia University football players from the 1980s are doing? Well, Undra Johnson and Willie Edwards are right with you. Johnson and Edwards, both members of WVU’s first undefeated team in 1988, are putting together a reunion for 1980s-era players inside the Touchdown Terrace at Milan Puskar Stadium on Friday, Sept. 21, prior to Saturday’s game against East Carolina.
Johnson said it will be an informal reunion giving former Mountaineer players an opportunity to reminisce and reconnect with their alma mater.
“We have about 80 players committed to coming back,” Johnson said.
This event will run in conjunction with the Varsity Sports Weekend also taking place. The Varsity Sports Weekend, put on by the Mountaineer Athletic Club, also involves a four-man golf scramble on Friday afternoon at the Pines Country Club and a tailgate on Saturday morning before the East Carolina game.
“Some players don’t like to golf so we thought having a reception would be a good way to get this started,” Johnson explained. “We hope to make this an annual event.”
WVU players from the 1980s interested in attending can call Johnson at (304) 842-6400. The web site 1980-89mountaineers.com also offers more information.
Any former West Virginia University athletes or administrators interested in taking part in the WVU Varsity Club Weekend can call Donnie Young at the Mountaineer Athletic Club office at 1-800-433-2072.
Better Birthdays?
Posted By John Antonik: August 7, 2007
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| Meg Bulger |
Meg Bulger expects better birthday gifts now that her big brother Marc has signed a six-year, $65 million contract that makes him the richest player in St. Louis Rams history.
“I expected them since I was little. He better come through,” she joked before leaving for Australia with the women’s basketball team last weekend. “It’s like monopoly money to me. I don’t even think it’s real.”
Meg can still remember the days when Marc didn’t think twice about wearing the same pair of jeans three or four days in a row.
“We still yell, fight or whatever but when he comes home his shoes are a little nicer, his jeans are name brand. Coming from Marc? He’s telling me what he bought his girlfriend and I’m like, Okay, wait a minute this is a little different than the guy who used to wear sweat pants around and drive around in an 80s jeep,” she laughed.
Bulger also remembers a big brother who once said in college that he would never hold out for a penny more than a million if he ever got the chance.
“He laughed a bunch of times because when he was in college he would say, ‘If they offered me a million dollars I’m taking it.’ But then he said when you get in there and it’s a business it’s a little different,” Meg said. “I’m just happy for him.”
In all seriousness, Meg says her brother has worked hard to reach this point in his career and deserves everything that he has earned.
“It’s not like he was drafted in the first round and this is his first paycheck. This is six years out,” she explained. “He’s worked for it. He’s gone to Pro Bowls. He went from the league minimum to this.”
Meg has also endured her own hardships and is presently overcoming her second serious knee injury. Although she is traveling with the women’s basketball team to Australia, she has not been cleared to play yet. Meg isn’t at all afraid to bring that fact up to the newest member of the multi-millionaire club.
“I keep reminding him, ‘Marc, I had two ACLs. That’s a pretty difficult thing to go through.’ I try and make him feel bad for me a little bit and play that aspect up a little bit,” she grinned.
